Jack Ketchum pulls no punches. His writing style is not fanciful; he gets in and gets out, giving the reader exactly what he or she needs — nothing more, or less. Perhaps that’s what makes this novel so unsettling (aside from the fact that it is based on a real life crime case): it is written so matter-of-factly.

I don’t really care to go into this book’s plot. Other reviews do a good job of that. I will say this novel evokes a feeling of uncontrollable horror in a way unlike I’ve read too often before. I could not put this thing down, though I wanted to. Oh, I wanted to.

The reviews declaring this one of the most horrifying books written are not hyperbole. Believe them. Believe me. This is a ride through hell. Easily the most horrific thing I’ve read this month.